World trade in March: the calm before the storm? 
The container throughput index published by the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) went up in 2022, rising by 1.6 points to 119.2 points (seasonally adjusted), according to the latest flash estimate.... more
ONE launches new service
The Singapore-based Ocean Network Express (ONE) is launching a new service calling ports in Dubai, India and Mozambique. The MIM (Mozambique - India - Middle East) service will offer direct and bi-weekly connections to Jebel Ali, Mundra and Maputo, including transhipments to... more
Full speed ahead for Antwerp-Bruges, sir!
The project has now been given the official green light. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge have merged after an extraordinary general meeting on 22 April 2022, the merger process having started in February 2021. Besides 74,000 direct and 90,000 indirect jobs, the merged port... more
Vinturas' shares go to Wallenius
Maritime operator Wallenius Wilhemsen has invested in Vinturas, a blockchain platform owned by the major logistics companies that distribute finished cars all over Europe. Vinturas was founded in 2019 with IBM as its technology partner. The range of investors includes Axess... more
Dutch inland navigation bundles forces
In the Netherlands, the board of the Koninklijke Binnenvaart Nederland (KBN) and the interim board of the Expertise and Innovation Centre for Inland Shipping (EICB), Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart (BVB) and Bureau Telematica Binnenvaart (BTB), have decided that the future joint... more
Irisl plans fleet expansion
According to the Iranian press, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines' (Irisl) managing director Mohammadreza Modares-Khiabani has stressed the importance of self-sufficiency in the development of the national fleet. Thus, the liner is going to pursue building new vessels... more
MSC going for more mid-haul units
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the carrier with the highest maritime container capacity worldwide as of January 2022, is banking on more newbuilds. According to press reports, fourteen new 7,000 teu units have been ordered on Chinese wharfs, an investment of... more
Did piracy take a break?
There is a moderate reduction in piracy activities worldwide, as the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports in its latest study. The IMB is a department of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce. The reported incidents declined by 2.6% from 38 to 37 in... more
Sustainability à la Hapag-LLoyd
The Hamburg-based carrier Hapag-Lloyd has published its sustainability report for 2021. The group's strategic goals for the next ten years in this field are based on the pillars “clean shipping and future-proof propulsion”, “diversity and society”, and “compliance and... more
